1. Field of the Invention
This application pertains to systems for transporting, launching and recovering floating objects such as boats, and particularly for such operations with floating dock sections intended for use with small boats.
2. Prior Art
Ever-increasing numbers of water-borne platform, boats and other small water craft are being used in the United States and other countries, not only for recreation but in support of various industries such as the lumber industry, offshore oil industry, the fishing industry and in tourism. In many cases, it is desired to transport such water craft overland to the point of use, or to transport overland containers across water to be loaded upon ships, where permanent docking facilities may or may not be available. A wide variety of boat trailers and other transport means have been developed for transporting, launching and recovering small boats, as will be described below. Among the more difficult water craft to transport are large, bulky, floating units such as swimming floats, floating pier sections, rafts, pontoon boats and the like. Many such units are difficult to transport because their underbodies include exposed portions of soft flotation material. In many areas it is impractical to construct permanent docking facilities for small craft at the point of use due to the cost of permanent construction, seasonal weather conditions and governmental regulations which restrict shoreline construction. Therefore, temporary docking facilities made up of floating sections have become popular. However, due to their bulky size and configuration (typically, for recreational use, from six to twenty feet long, three feet to eight feet wide, and at least two feet in depth), the launching, recovery and transport of such units can be difficult. Therefore, in addition to the production of improved trailers and other transport means for the launching, recovery and transport of conventional self-propelled boats, there is a need apparent for improved transport means for bulky floating objects such as floating small craft dock sections.
The patents described below disclose various means for transporting small craft such as boats, but there is apparently no efficient means available for transporting bulky objects such as floating dock sections overland to a site for use where they can be launched and later recovered for further transport. In the absence of specific trailer assemblies designed for such units, it would be necessary to employ at least a large truck to transport such units, drawing upon man-handling or cranes to remove the units from the transport and launch or recover the units from the water.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,077,553 illustrates and describes various adjustable anchoring devices for retaining boats on trailers or on top of automobiles, such that a boat can be transported in either an upright or inverted position. FIGS. 8, 9 and 11 show swivel-mounted, turnbuckle-adjustable anchoring devices for securing a boat to the frame or axle of a trailer. There appears to be no suggestion of rigid anchoring devices which are hinged to a trailer axle and can be secured across the top of a large floating object to fasten the trailer wheels to the bottom and thus transform the floating object (such as a dock) into a self-trailerable assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,004,771 discloses buoyant trailer assemblies which can be positioned under a floating boat for removing it from the water as described at the bottom of column 2 and the top of column 3 of the patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,660,443 describes a boat trailer in which a hold-down batten number 47 can be placed athwartships and secured vertically to threaded rods number 48 with wing nuts 49. This merely provides vertical pressure to secure the boat to the bed of the trailer, and does not suggest placing lateral pressure on an object such as a floating dock to secure an axle and wheels thereto.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,415,771 discloses several versions of boat trailers including framework structures which suspend a boat from above rather than supporting it from below, with subframes which are pivotably mounted to facilitate dropping a boat into the water and returning the trailer to dry land. A simpler version without the provided subframe is shown in FIG. 4, but even this version does not appear to suggest a tow frame which places pressure on the top of an object such as a floating dock when a typical towing force is applied to the assembly.
Bertram's U.S Pat. No. 1,691,633 discloses trailers designed to carry folding boats, including general hold-down assemblies in the tongue area and hold-down straps 28 which can extend across the top of the folding boat and secure it to the trailer frame.
As stated above, applicant is unaware of any system specifically designed to provide for the efficient overland transport, launching and recovery of floating objects, such as floating dock units, in the prior art. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide improved systems adapted for the transport, launching and recovery of floating objects including, but not limited to, floating dock sections for small craft, and particularly for systems which can be handled by the homeowner or small business owner to launch and recover seasonal docking facilities for small craft.